Whatever You Are, Be A Good One

When I plan out my content, I plan it by the month. If you listened to last week’s episode, you know I’m a week behind. Which, in hindsight, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It gave me a chance to get ahead. By ahead, I mean back on track, but in a better way. It also put this week’s episode and post in a better position. 

I want to dedicate this week’s episode as well as post to my late pop. Last Thursday marked six months since he passed. I suppose that anniversary has brought up a lot of unresolved emotions and loved memories. 

Before I get to the real part of this, I’d like to preface by saying this isn’t about grief or coping with unresolved emotions. That’s a topic for another time. I’d like to keep this more lighthearted. 

Now that my disclaimer is out of the way, I’d like to get a little more personal. I’ve never shared much of myself. Yes, I’m always honest. Yes, I share my experiences and emotions. I also share some of my opinions too. I even shared a breakdown caused by failed technology. But I don’t feel like I’ve shared enough personally. I also don’t feel like I’m making sense. Maybe, I’m just not expressing it in the best way. When I say personally, I’m referring to the things I haven’t put out there. Like, my family. Most of the stuff I’ve shared has scratched the surface. You know that we keep things real and raw here. Today, however, we’re taking a deeper dive. 

I come from a HUGE family. Like, Cheaper by the Dozen, but a little bigger. At least my extended family. As far as my immediate family goes, I’d say we’re average. My family is somewhat of a crucial part of this. 

I love my family. However, it’s easy to feel lost in such a large crowd. We all share a lot of similarities. Some of those similarities include opinions, talents, and faces. I also live near a lot of my family. So, being mistaken for one of them isn’t an uncommon thing. Don’t get me wrong; I know how lucky I am to have such a large family. I also know how lucky I am to be able to see my family on a semi-regular basis. We spend every Sunday (safely) drinking wine with my GG. 

All the positive points aside, there are some negatives to being part of a large family. Like I mentioned earlier, we share a lot of similarities. If we’re all doing the same thing, how can any of us be good ones? 

There are a lot of athletically inclined people in my family. A lot of them grew up playing sports like softball, baseball, and hockey. I am not one of those people. I walk into walls and trip over the air regularly. Don’t ask me how I grew up as a dancer. I honestly don’t know. But I knew sports weren’t going to be my thing. 

There are a lot of singers in my family too. So, as much as I love singing, I knew that wasn’t a real option either. 

I finally settled on writing. I’d won a few contests while in high school. I also decided to pursue writing as a second degree. It felt like my whatever to be a good one. It led me to where I am today. 

At least I thought this was my thing. One of my older cousins started blogging. Don’t get me wrong! The internet and the blogging world are big enough for both of us. Our content is also different. As much as I admire her work, I couldn’t help but feel a little defeated. 

A few months ago, my GG was sharing some memories of my pop. She brought up a few of his wishes for his family. One of those wishes was happiness. That’s when it clicked. 

I was emphasizing the wrong aspect of “whatever you are, be a good one.” I was focusing on the good. When I heard her say the word happy, I felt like I had been disappointing my pop for years. 

I love what I do here. Writing, producing content, and podcasting fills me with so much happiness. But sometimes I forget that part. Sometimes I focus too much on the other stuff. The episode that included a mild breakdown proves that. I don’t think I’m necessarily good yet. You all know me, there is room for improvement. But I’m doing what makes me happy and trying my best to be good at it. I’m doing it for my pop, but I’m also doing it for me. 

I’m not sure who needs to hear this. Or I suppose to read in this case. But whatever you are, be a good one. Do whatever makes you happy. You don’t need to be the only one tackling something because you’re unique in your way. 

This one is for you pop, rest easy.